RACING:GETTING INTO the winners' enclosure at Leopardstown can seem like a church-going exercise for many people, and there was plenty of "bridesmaid" and "bride" talk after Exotic Dancer's dramatic victory in yesterday's feature.
After a top-flight career largely spent chasing the legendary Kauto Star around the likes of Cheltenham and Kempton, Exotic Dancer finally notched the Grade One success his talent has long justified with a 20-length victory in the €200,000 Lexus Chase.
Tony McCoy is hardly in the Frankie Dettori league when it comes to demonstrative displays in the coveted number one spot, but the British champion jockey was plainly delighted with the win and hugged trainer Jonjo O'Neill.
"Things have not gone his way in the past but they've gone his way today," grinned O'Neill, who has had to endure a winless streak with Exotic Dancer that has gone back 20 months.
Wedged into that period have been placed efforts in several top races, but circumstances conspired this Christmas to put things right. One was the decision to bypass last Friday's King George in favour of a trip to Dublin, and just as important was Neptune Collonges's fall at the second-last yesterday.
The Paul Nicholls-trained 5 to 4 favourite had dominated the race since The Listener's exit at the second fence, and was still travelling strongly when he came down, giving the in-form Ruby Walsh no chance.
"He had jumped from fence to fence, but it was too far out to say if he would have won," Walsh said. "I wanted him to ping it and land running but he changed his mind. I was the one who landed running!"
That briefly rekindled hopes for an under-pressure War Of Attrition, but with two cross-sea greys out of the race, the third raider then pounced on the scene to win going away. At the line Exotic Dancer was 20 lengths clear of War Of Attrition with Cane Brake in third.
"He is a good horse and he deserved this," said McCoy. "From three out I knew the one I had to beat and I was tracking Ruby. Then I thought I might have got to the front too soon. But he has done it well."
Watching his great friend and rival Walsh almost farm the major Grade One prizes in recent seasons has been a chore for McCoy, and he relished yesterday's victory on Exotic Dancer. "He has been very consistent over the years and if we just had a few more like him at Jonjo's it would make it easier to take on the other stables," he said, before thanking his boss, JP McManus, for releasing him to ride the winner.
"JP said if he was a jockey he would have decided to ride Exotic Dancer too!" McCoy grinned.
Exotic Dancer is as low as 12 to 1 for another crack at the Cheltenham Gold Cup now, but his connections haven't ruled out a pre-festival return to Leopardstown for the Hennessy Gold Cup in February now that he has proved he likes the Foxrock track.
"He has gone to Kempton a few times over the years but it is not his course," O'Neill said.
"You never know what would have happened if Neptune had not fallen, but you need luck sometimes and we got ours today. I would like to come back here for the Hennessy and he is in the Ryanair and the Gold Cup at Cheltenham."
Willie Mullins continued his Christmas hot-streak with two winners at Leopardstown yesterday and one at Limerick, bringing his holiday tally to nine so far.
His two Leopardstown winners - Kempes (6 to 4) and Imperial Hills (4 to 1) - were among five winning favourites yesterday which contributed to a good day for the 16,265-strong Sunday crowd. However, the attendance figure was still down almost 1,400 on last year's corresponding figure.
Betting figures were also on the slide, with bookmaker turnover of €1,947,113 down from last year's €2,365,740. A Tote aggregate of €527,061 decreased from a 2007 tally of €701,195.
Today's final-day festival highlight is the Grade One December Festival Hurdle, and a late call will be made on the participation of Sizing Europe, who was found to have a bruised foot yesterday.
"We are treating it and hopefully he will be okay," said trainer Henry De Bromhead. "We will see how he is in the morning."
